The season is upon us! And although everyone's prematurely breaking out the vintage Alber Elbaz embroidered Xmas sweaters and the Marni seasonal jewelry, it's the season of New York City Opera's resilient & pragmatic 5-opera mini-season. Tomorrow night opens a preview of the 2009-10 season (which operatically-officially begins on Saturday, November 7 with Hugo Weisgall’s Esther), with NYCO hosting an Opening Night Gala concert honoring renovated theater namesake, David H. Koch. The evening's festivities will also honor the many unique voices that have shaped NYCO's illustrious history, with a guest appearance by the New York City Ballet.
No doubt GM and Artistic Director George Steel will be on hand to welcome his guests and benefactors, still less than a year into owning his official title. The Little Engine that Could, Steel's the great hope for spiriting the cash-strapped NYCO back to its humble roots when NYCO was known as a financially accessible and artistically courageous Volkstheater, championing American singers and composers to diverse audiences.As inviting as comfort food (think pumpkin purée and crispy braised chicken), this season offers the classic rapey/zombie-knight opera, Mozart-Da Ponte's Don Giovanni. Director Christopher Alden directs the hawt, impressionable young cast in a new production heavy on sexual angst. Daniel Okulitch leads as a swaggering rockstar in his NYCO debut. Opening on November 8 and running until November 22, this opera also boasts an "Artist Dialouge (on November 12) at the MUSEUM OF SEX! Fo'reals!
Check out this clip below for a preview. Highlight? Daniel Okulitch says "panties are dropping" and our Pavlovian panties (vintage Cadolle, of course) drop with it.